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Focus on the user experience

Although I post the video some time ago, the message is still relevant. Focus on the end user experience. Let me give that some context.

Innovation is a key to growth and to the development of a competitive advantage that can help your organisation rise above other competitors and those offering similar products or experiences. This is especially true in these ‘tight times’ when many organisations are competing for your hard earned cash, those extra dollars, discretionary fund (big or small) that you have available for (in this case) entertainment and other things.

There are many ways that an organisation can innovate, or in other words develop strategies that will allow for innovation. An organisation can choose to innovate around their product or service, innovate with their marketing approach, and also innovate in the distribution process. One area that I think can provide some easy wins is innovation around the user experience.

What is user experience; well to me user experience is about designing the product or services around the needs and requirements of a user. This will require an organisation to really consider how their product or service will be experienced by your user and making it awesome. To do this an organisation must commit to a process of meaningful customer research to gain an intimate understanding of what makes their users or customer’s tick. HINT – never assume, ask some questions, spend some time, uncover the real trends and motivators. By understanding the real user or customer experience you will develop products and services that are really meaningful to them, and they will sing your praises to their friends and family, hopefully in a viral social way.

Recently my wife and I went to the new Hoyts Cinema in Te Awa at the Base on the out skirts of Hamilton, New Zealand. The experience was awesome. Mind blowing. The whole experience was seamless and exciting, to me it was close to perfect. From the serve your self food bar, to the wall of screens showing previews on the way in, the huge comfortable seats, the massive screen (really…its huge), and finally the booming sound system. It was an experience, a customer / end user focused experience. Well done.